ATV riders charged in Akron

Written by Beacon Journal

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Kathy Antoniotti

Police arrested 19 in Akron over the weekend for riding off-road vehicles on private property.

On Saturday, 11 people caught riding all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes along the CXS railroad tracks between Eastwood and Evans avenues were arrested. On Sunday, eight more people were arrested while riding recreational vehicles in the same area.

The site was posted with "private property/no trespassing signs," said Lt. Rick Edwards, public information officer for the Akron Police Department. He said he believes the property is owned by the city of Akron.

"The weather is getting nice and more people are out riding their ATVs," Edwards said. "They should know they can't ride on private property."

Police were responding to ongoing complaints from residents of the area.

The area used by the riders is between Akron's North Hill and Goodyear Heights neighborhoods.

When police arrived, they noticed open burning in an area littered with mattresses, bikes, trash and beer cans and bottles. Two vehicles parked near the site were towed away.

All those arrested were charged with trespassing and summoned to appear in court.

"People should realize we do have an ATV we use and we will be back out there again," Edwards said.

Source: http://www.ohio.com/news/41726022.html

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Community Voices

“It’s frustrating having a hunt ruined by people riding ATVs where off-road vehicle use is prohibited. Many ATVs look the same so there’s no way to identify violators when reporting the incident to law enforcement. There should be a requirement that off-road vehicles used on public lands have license plates or large decals. Any ATV user who follows the law and land management directives on where they can and can not use these machines should have no objection to this type of identification.”

- Holly Endersby, hunter from western Idaho